Chapter 1 Biology: The Science Of Life Flashcards

Flashcards created from lecture transcript covering basic biology, biological organization, evolution, taxonomy, the scientific method, and modern challenges.

What is defined as the structural and functional unit of all living organisms?

Cell

How is a biological tissue defined?

A group of cells with a common structure and function.

What level of biological organization consists of organisms of the same species in a particular area?

Population

How is a species defined?

All of the populations of a specific type of organism that are capable of interbreeding.

What constitutes a biological community?

Interacting populations in a particular area.

What is an ecosystem?

A community plus the physical environment.

What is the biosphere?

The regions of the Earth's crust, waters, and atmosphere inhabited by living organisms.

What term encompasses all chemical reactions occurring in a cell?

Metabolism

What is the ultimate source of energy for nearly all life on Earth?

The sun

What process transforms solar energy into the chemical energy of nutrient molecules?

Photosynthesis

What is homeostasis?

An internal environment that acts within a set of physiological boundaries to keep organisms stable.

In all organisms, what molecule serves as the genetic blueprint?

DNA

What are biological adaptations?

Modifications that make organisms suited to their way of life.

How is evolution defined in biology?

The process by which populations accumulate adaptations over time to become more suited to their environments.

Which two individuals independently concluded that evolution occurs by natural selection?

Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace

What publication by Charles Darwin presented substantiating data for natural selection?

On the Origin of Species

What concise phrase sums up the process of evolution?

Descent with modification

What bird group in Hawaii evolved from one finch species into multiple species with distinct bill types?

Hawaiian honeycreepers

What is taxonomy?

The discipline of naming and classifying organisms according to certain rules.

What is systematics?

The classification of organisms according to presumed evolutionary relationships.

What are the classification categories from most inclusive to least inclusive?

Domain, Supergroup, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

What are the three domains of life?

Domain Archaea, Domain Bacteria, and Domain Eukarya.

What methane-generating prokaryote is listed as an example of Domain Archaea?

Methanosarcina mazei

What prokaryote found in human intestinal tracts is listed as an example of Domain Bacteria?

Escherichia coli

How many supergroups are currently recognized in the domain Eukarya?

Six supergroups

What are the four traditional eukaryotic kingdoms in Domain Eukarya?

Protists, Plants (Kingdom Plantae), Fungi (Kingdom Fungi), and Animals (Kingdom Animalia).

What organism is provided as an example of Kingdom Plantae that is one of the oldest living organisms on Earth?

The bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva)

In binomial nomenclature, what do the first and second terms represent?

The first word is the genus and the second word is the specific epithet.

What type of reasoning combines isolated facts into a cohesive whole during hypothesis development?

Inductive reasoning

What is a hypothesis?

A possible, testable explanation for an event.

What occurs during a double-blind study?

The technician or administrator does not know which group the patient belongs to.

What was the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in 1850 compared to today?

Atmospheric carbon dioxide was about $280\,\text{ppm}$ in 1850 and is over $400\,\text{ppm}$ today.

How many species are estimated to exist on Earth (excluding bacteria), and how many have been classified?

An estimated $8.7\,\text{million}$ species exist, with around $2.3\,\text{million}$ classified.

What percentage of all species may be in danger of extinction by the end of this century?

$$28\%$$

What emerging diseases are explicitly named in the text?

Avian influenza, swine flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

What reemerging disease outbreak occurred in 2014–2015?

Ebola